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After months of vigorous efforts and hard work, the Honors Studio class decorated the gallery and walls of Swig with their final thesis projects last Friday. In fall term the artists spent time exploring different mediums and ideas, but as Winter Term approached they began to finalize a concentration to focus their thesis on.

This year, the class was smaller than usual with only 6 students displaying work. Nevertheless, their pieces were no less captivating and intriguing than that of past years. The artists often spent long nights in Swig critiquing each other’s work and helping with instillations. “We all grew really close just because we spent so much time together in Swig” explained artist Maggie Hart ’17.

Andrew Harrison, Honors Studio teacher, pushed students to branch out of their comfort zones and try new techniques and challenge themselves as artists. The artists explored a wide variety of mediums from film to sculpture and instillations. Sharanya Thondapu ’17 took a break from painting and used plaster to create molds and sculptures of her hands. Similarly, Emma Licciardello ’17 gave film a try for the first time and used her own original footage in combination with that of other artists for her thesis.

Perhaps the most thought provoking piece for viewers was an outdoor instillation done by Maggie Hart ’17. A small, free standing cubicle stood outside the entrance to Swig and its loud music intrigued those who passed by it making them eager to learn more about it. Viewers were invited to sit inside the cubicle for as long as they felt comfortable. Inside the sculpture Hart installed curtains with eerie paintings of faces on them as well as dim fairy lights and a small stool marked with an X. “The piece was about my brain damage that I only learned about fairly recently. I wanted to bring my life into reality through my artwork” Hart explained. In addition to the sculpture outdoors, Hart displayed two other sculptures inside Swig related to her family and personal life.

The exhibit provided Peddie students with a glimpse into their peer’s ideas and gave the artists a chance to show off their hard work to the school’s community. The next art exhibit will include artwork from the AP Studio class as well as other painting, photography, and architecture classes.